Family Focus

Woman keeps alive Hope for Harvest center started by late mother

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A multigenerational effort to change lives in Charlotte is still going on, thanks to a very dedicated daughter who is trying to make sure the work her mother started more than 40 years ago lives on.

Newcomers to Charlotte may not know her name, but Barbara Brewton Cameron was a woman to be reckoned with.

(Barbara Brewton Cameron)

After her husband was killed by a drug dealer in 1973 in Charlotte's Double Oaks neighborhood, she vowed to create change.

She became an ordained pastor and launched a mission to take back the community.

“She was the most selfless woman, who, in despair, still wanted to give,” daughter Catherine Brewton said.

That effort continues, and it’s growing.

Brewton is carrying on the work her late mother began.

“I wanted to continue the legacy of what was already done and that is to help those who just sometimes need a hug, a plate of hot food,” Brewton said.

The Barbara Brewton Hope for Harvest Youth Center is just a part of the Brewton legacy, focused on helping those in need.

The efforts include fellowship, hot meals and a safe place to gather off the streets for anyone young or old.

“My plight was to really offer free services to underserved youth. She was really big on homelessness,” Brewton said. “My belief was, let's get to them before they become homeless.”

Brewton no longer lives in Charlotte, but she comes back often to make sure the important work started by her mother stays on track.

“When you walk through these doors, whether it's a Hispanic kid, white kid, black kid, we love up on them and believe that everybody deserves a chance,” Brewton said.

Brewton said her mother was a trailblazer. Now, it's her job to make sure that trail never goes cold.

The organization runs entirely on donations without any government funding.